Welcome to DBSTalk

Welcome to DBSTalk. Our community covers all aspects of video delivery solutions including: Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), Cable Television, and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). We also have forums to discuss popular television programs, home theater equipment, and internet streaming service providers. Members of our community include experts who can help you solve technical problems, industry professionals, company representatives, and novices who are here to learn.

Like most online communities you must register to view or post in our community. Sign-up is a free and simple process that requires minimal information. Be a part of our community by signing in or creating an account. The Digital Bit Stream starts here!

SAT-C upgrade, Cascaded 4x8 switch, HD10 - problems

I recently upgraded my phase-II eliptical dish with a SAT-C upgrade and purchased a HD10-250 (HI-DEF tivo). I also needed to install a new 4x8 switch which is cascaded off the existing/original 4x4 switch that is on the back of the dish.

When I run through setup on the new HD10 I get no signal from SAT-B. this is apparent too as I can't get all the HD channels. I do get ESPN-HD and CBS-HD. Doesn't seem like i'm missing any other channels.

I have the sat-c installed as per instructions to the 4x4 multi-switch and then just took the outputs and plugged them into my 4x8 multi-switch (the instructions on the 4x8 multi-switch - an eagle aspen - said I can plug them anywhere to the inputs).

What is my problem? How come I can't see sat-B on my HD10? All other receivers in the house seem to recieve the signals with no problem?

Is this the correct way to cascade a 4x8 switch? or should I just remove the 4x4 switch and run all the cables down to the new 4x8?

1) Make sure you use the special combiner for the Sat C kit.
2) I would also suggest just taking the 4x4 out of the mix and run all 4 lines directly into the 4x8. If you have very short cables from the LNB's to the 4x4 and then long cables from there, use barrell connectors to hook up the lines with the 4x4 out of the way.
3) I would assume you set the receiver up as having a triple LNB dish. If not then it won't know about B or C.

The 4x8 *should* work but it does need to be cascadable and capable of 22khz tones. You said it is so something else is amiss in your installation.

Make sure you can see SAT-B from the 4x4 switch before you connect the 4 outputs to the 4x8 switch. If that is working then it must be a problem witht he 4x8 switch. I have been using a TERK(BM58) 5 x 8 switch for over 9 months without any problems. I have the same dish setup as you have.

OK, this is what I did. I took out the 4x4 switch in the equation and ran 5 cables from my 3 LNB's (2 from SAT-A, 2 from SAT-b and 1 from SAT-c). to my 4x8 switch. I followed the directions for my SAT-C upgrade kit and combined the SAT-C and SAT-B signals using the combiner they shipped me before I plugged it into the 4x8 switch.

I get NO signal from SAT-B from ANY of my receivers in the house, I believe this might have been the case before the upgrade as well. To eliminate the possibility of it being a bad LNB, I swapped the SAT-A and SAT-B LNB's on my dish with no change in results.

While troubleshooting this I un-plugged one of the the SAT-B connections from my 4x8 switch, the "uncombined" SAT-B connection is the one I took out of the 4x8 multi-switch, when I did this I got a signal on SAT-B from one of my satelitte-ln 1, but not ln2, but the signal was really low, like in the 30's.... I still couldn;t see any of the HD channels that are on SAT-B.

What can be the problem? I will test/swap cables later on to eliminate it being a cable problem. Is it possible that I can't see SAT-B at all, while I can see the other SAT's? I have some trees in the back yard, but I have never had any problem with getting signals from SAT-A.... my trees are 150' feet away from the dish... how can I verify that I can see the SAT-B from my dish without using the cables/recievers/etc that I have... do I need a 5 million dollar porfessional installation set? :-)

You're lucky if the installer has a $30 signal meter. The MASTEC techs that tried to do my install had nothing. They were incompetent. Of course they mounted my dish and the buiding next door was blocking one of the signals. I had to move it a few feet to correct it. They spent 40 hours trouble shooting then tried to tell me I was at the one place on earth that got a signal from 2 of the satellites at the same position of the dish. Yeah right! I tried to tell them about the building but they wouldn't listen. Never have MASTEC do an install. They are totally incompetent.

I'd almost say you've got signal blockage. 119 is quite a bit lower in the sky. Also it's harder to tune in all 3 sats and it may not have been installed right.

I used to have the elliptical dish myself but I didn't want to mess with the Sat C and just got the Phase III dish instead. Much easier to deal with then that combiner thing. I know it doesn't help you now, but something to think about should signal not turn out to be the issue.

I'm coming to the conclusion that I have signal blockage as well. I tested all the cables tonight and double checked everything and even tried tuning the dish to see if I could get sat-b in..... No luck

I live in NJ and I know that it'll be harder for me to tune in sat-b than somebody in the south.

my dish sits on my fench pole about 4 feet off the ground, so I do have the last resort option of putting it on my roof (not a great option, since I deal with ICE/SNOW storms up here in NJ that knock my sat out if I don't clean the dish),

my question is ... if I call in a prof sat installer, will he be able to guarentee that I will get all 3 sat's if I move my dish to the roof? I don;t want to through the time, hassel and $$$ if that move gets me nowhere (and then have my dish on the roof as well)?

If the line of sight from your roof is clear, you should have no problem. If not you may have trouble. Not the most ideal situation, but if you have an installer come out and he judges that you have obstructions that can't be overcome it may not cost you anything (though they may charge some kind of service call anyway).

I'm coming to the conclusion that I have signal blockage as well. I tested all the cables tonight and double checked everything and even tried tuning the dish to see if I could get sat-b in..... No luck

I live in NJ and I know that it'll be harder for me to tune in sat-b than somebody in the south.

my dish sits on my fench pole about 4 feet off the ground, so I do have the last resort option of putting it on my roof (not a great option, since I deal with ICE/SNOW storms up here in NJ that knock my sat out if I don't clean the dish),

my question is ... if I call in a prof sat installer, will he be able to guarentee that I will get all 3 sat's if I move my dish to the roof? I don;t want to through the time, hassel and $$$ if that move gets me nowhere (and then have my dish on the roof as well)?

A true professional installer will be able to perform a proper site survey and verify line-of-site to all three satellites. If he can't find one suitable location, you can always install multiple single LNB dishes at various locations on your house like I had to do ....

litzdog911... thanks, that sounds like a better, easier way to go. I should be able to located a single LNB, round dish on my roof to ONLY get a signal from the SAT-B, that way if in the winter I get knocked out by an ice storm it won't be all my channels, just some of the Hi-Defs that are on SAT-B... I could live with that.

My question, if I do this myself what do I need? This is what I assume:

a single round dish with a single LNB.
run this cable down to my existing SAT-B/SAT-C combiner.

That's it? I keep my setup in my receivers as a triple LNB?

In case I decide not to do this myself, Can anybody recommend a reliable, fairly priced sat installer that will service Northern NJ?